


Equality

by pickleplum



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: M/M, Marriage, Same-Sex Marriage, in sickness and health
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-30
Updated: 2013-09-30
Packaged: 2017-12-28 02:17:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/986501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pickleplum/pseuds/pickleplum
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“‘Immediate family only’ is our policy and no amount of yelling at me will change it, Doctor Geiszler. Unless you are Doctor Gottlieb are long-lost brothers, you need to calm down and wait in the reception area or we’ll have to ask you to leave.”</p><p>Newt makes a very loud exasperated noise and throws his hands in the air, but turns and marches into the waiting room. He drops himself onto a couch and pulls at his hair in frustration. I’m going to behave, he tells himself firmly. I’m not going to freak out over this <i>total bullshit</i> and get myself tossed out of here. No way. I can do this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 2022

“What do you mean I can’t see him? He’s scared of hospitals and needs me with him! I’ve got to get in there!”

“Doctor Geiszler, I’m sorry, but only immediate family members are allowed in the ICU.”

“ _Immediate family?_ We’ve been sharing living and work space for five years! How much more _immediate_ can you get? His family is all in Germany. I’m all he’s got and he can’t wake up alone. Please let me in!”

“‘Immediate family only’ is our policy and no amount of yelling at me will change it, Doctor Geiszler. Unless you are Doctor Gottlieb are long-lost brothers, you need to calm down and wait in the reception area or we’ll have to ask you to leave.”

Newt makes a very loud exasperated noise and throws his hands in the air, but turns and marches into the waiting room. He drops himself onto a couch and pulls at his hair in frustration. I’m going to behave, he tells himself firmly. I’m not going to freak out over this _total bullshit_ and get myself tossed out of here. No way. I can do this.

After fifteen minutes of sitting, Newt gets up and starts to pace.

After thirty minutes, he goes into the bathroom, splashes cold water on his face, and beats his head against the wall for a minute. Then he goes back to pacing.

After an hour, Tendo Choi arrives. “Heard anything yet, my man?”

“No! These _assholes_ won’t tell me _anything_ because I’m not an ‘immediate family member’!”

“Let me try.” Tendo crosses over to the nurses’ station. Newt strains to hear the conversation, but it’s too quiet to be comprehensible. Tendo returns a few minutes later, whistling.

“The doctors think it was a temporary ventricular tachycardia. Heartbeat went nuts for a moment and he fainted. They’re keeping him overnight for observation, but he should be out of here in the morning no worse for the wear.”

Newt’s jaw drops. “How in HELL did you do that?”

“Just applied some of the ol’ Tendo Choi charm.” Tendo hooks his thumbs under his suspenders. Newt raises a skeptical eyebrow.

“Oh, alright.” Tendo rolls his eyes. “Coffee. I bribed them with coffee.” He pauses. “They’re not budging on the visiting rules, though.”

Newt makes another wordless noise of frustration and lets his head thunk onto the wooden back of the waiting room couch. “Maybe I can spoof a DNA test to say we’re brothers,” he mumbles.

“Or you could always marry him,” Tendo offers matter-of-factly. “Spouses are immediate family members.” He stands up and straightens his bowtie. “I’ve got to get back to the maintenance bay. Romeo Blue’s latest refits need my unique brilliance. Hang in there.”

Newt paces until exhaustion finally starts to settle in. As he curls up on the waiting room couch he realizes Tendo might be onto something. They’re in California and the paperwork is pretty simple here he’s heard. He’ll just need to convince Hermann. Which shouldn’t be too hard. Newt dozes off grinning.


	2. 2025

Newt skids into the infirmary, wild-eyed and panting. He sees Raleigh and Tendo and races over. “Where’s Hermann? What happened?”

Raleigh answers, “His heartbeat went crazy while we were talking in the mess. I got him down here as fast as I could. I think they said they were taking him to the ICU.”

Newt heads straight for the door to the ward. The infirmary’s head nurse steps into his path, bringing him up short.

“I’m afraid only immediate family members are allowed in the ICU. You’ll have to wait here.”

“Oh. My. Freakin’. God. I am ‘immediate family’ and you’re going to let me in!”

The nurse motions over two burly orderlies. “Doctor Geiszler, you need to wait here. Please take a seat.”

“I am _not_ going to wait around out here! I have every right to be there with him! It should be in your records! Do I have to go get the certificate before you believe me? What do you want?”

“I’m sorry, Doctor, but….”

“I don’t care! You’re going to let me into that room and you’re going to do it now!”

“What’s going on here?” The chief medical officer, attracted by the racket, approaches the reception area.

“Thank god! Chief, these _people_ ,” Newt gestures in frustration at the two orderlies blocking the door to the ward and the nurse, “won’t let me see Hermann.”

The nurse speaks up, “Only next of kin are allowed in circumstances like this.”

“ _But I AM next of kin!_ ” Newt’s voice is hovering between a whine and a scream.

“Excuse me, but are you related?” the nurse asks.

“Related? We’re _married_!” Newt looks ready to explode. “We got married so shit like this,” he waves toward the orderlies again, “wouldn’t happen.”

“But, Doctor Geiszler, the law in Hong Kong doesn’t recognize….”

The medical officer cuts him off. “This isn’t Hong Kong. This is the PPDC. Let the man see his husband.”

“Thank you.” Newt stomps through the door, making certain to bump the larger of the men guarding the door’s shoulder on the way past.

Raleigh and Tendo exchange looks. 

“Huh. He took my advice,” Tendo says with a shrug.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [this prompt](http://pacificrimkink.livejournal.com/350.html?thread=1255774#t1255774):  
> “When Hermann is in the accident that busts up his leg and almost kills him, Newton isn't allowed in his hospital room because he isn't next of kin.
> 
> “Newton, sick with worry, thinks this is bullshit. He's going to marry Hermann ASAP to keep this from happening again.
> 
> “(bonus points if it happens again at the Hong Kong Shatterdome and Newton throws a righteous fit and this is how Raleigh & co. find out they're married).”
> 
> I have a different headcanon on Hermann’s leg, so I put him in the ICU (twice) with another problem instead.
> 
> This prompt hits close to home. I have a same sex partner and live in a state without marriage equality. Which means that if either of us gets critically ill or injured the other will almost certainly face problems with hospital visits and power of attorney, even though we’ve been committed for over five years now. We’re worried about it, so it was easy to frazzle Newt with the emotions I have. Luckily, he’s more entertainingly expressive than I am.
> 
> I can’t find a set date for Romeo Blue’s destruction, so I’m going to pretend it was tough enough to make it into 2022. I wanted a California-based Jaeger and the romantic connotations of the name swayed my choice.
> 
> Recommended listening: The Gossip, _Standing in the Way of Control_ , Track 2, title song.


End file.
